I love The Octonauts!

Luckily, so does my three year old son. He’s obsessed by them to the extent that we have 51 of the 52 available episodes recorded and renamed, so that when he asks for the one with the octopus / orca whale / humuhumunukunukuapua’a (honestly!) I know exactly which episode to set up for him. He has all the books and we have to read at least two of them every evening. His birthday cake this year is going to be Peso penguin, hopefully standing up on the cakeboard if the baker can find a way to keep Peso’s large oval head on his extremely slim shoulders.

So, one way or the other, I’ve become familiar with the Octonauts too. You know one of the best bits about having children is how you can go into Toys R Us and play with all the gizmos to your heart’s content without anyone thinking it odd? My son’s fascination with the Octonauts means that I too can watch and enjoy without fear of anyone thinking I’m enjoying it too. Until now of course; my guilty secret is out.

But really, what’s not to like? Each episode focuses on a different sea creature and offers lots of information throughout the programme, so it’s very educational. I didn’t know that humuhumunukunukuapua’a existed until I saw the programme. Every Octonaut has a “can-do” attitude; Captain Barnacles utters “Octonauts, let’s do this!” at least once in every episode. The stories emphasise teamwork and looking after one another and other creatures. Peso the medic often earnestly says that he has to help any sick or injured creature, no matter what. In addition, the ship’s engineer is female, as is the character that most often seems to be steering the Octopod through the stormiest of waters. I find this far more appealing than Thomas the Tank Engine where the prevailing mood is one of grumpiness and new engines are always looked down upon or ignored until they save another engine or do something Really Useful and become accepted. So I unashamedly promote the Octonauts and their values and enjoy their tales of life under the ocean waves. I shall miss them when my little chap switches allegiances.

This post is in response to the @Britmums Blogprompt: “If I wouldn’t be judged harshly, I would say…out loud”.

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Books I read in 2013

Solar by Ian McEwan
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Matilda by Roald Dahl
The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane
The Sisters' Brothers by Patrick deWitt
25 Rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro
Honour by Elif Shafak
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain
Ancient Light by John Banville
Charlotte's Web by EB White
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
11.22.63 Stephen King
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Why be Happy When You Could be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Five Days by Douglas Kennedy
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson